Japandroids, Craig Finn and the Uptown Controllers - February 24, 2017 - Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA

Japandroids guitarist Brian King silhouetted on stage 
at the Union Transfer.

After attending 13 concerts in 2016, the most concerts I've attended in any year, another year full of concerts was kicked off with the Japandroids and Craig Finn and the Uptown Controllers at the Union Transfer. Friday night's sold out show was the first of two nights for the Japandroids. The second night was added due to the high demand. During the show, frontman Brian King noted that night one was the first show to be sold out after  the tour was announced.

Craig Finn, the frontman of The Hold Steady, was touring with Japandroids in support of his third solo album We All Want the Same Things, which is set to be released on March 24. Finn and his band came up with the name Uptown Controllers after a Craigslist listing titled "Playstation 4 Controller That May Have Been Used By Craig Finn" surfaced online. It was later discovered that Minneapolis local comedian Justin Colucci pulled the amusing stunt. Read the hilarious description of the ad and satirical account of how Colucci came into possession of the controller here.

I was excited to see Finn with his signature arm flailing and hand gestures. However, no Hold Steady songs were played and the songs that were played were too laid back. It can sometimes be a good change of pace but with the Japandroids as the headliner it was a bit of a mismatch. Like so many other acts getting political theses days, Finn put in his two cents while elaborating on his new album. "We are divided. However, we all want the same things. We want security and to be safe, we want freedom, and we want rock and roll." Despite the cool band name, the actual band was less so. All members dressed differently appearing to be brought in off the street and looked uninterested in playing. Finn tried to be the front man and take control of the situation by pacing from one side of the mic to the other mouthing the last lines sung to the audience but it was hard for him to make up for the rest of the band who didn't have it. Although I was disappointed, I wouldn't hesitate to see The Hold Steady in the future. Finn attracted an older audience to the show but as soon as his set finished most of them left or moved to the back of the venue, making room for the young group ready to take out their energy on one another.

After a little over four years, the Japandroid were finally back in Philly on the same stage they played on back in December of 2012. Sometimes you don't know how great a show was until a band comes back. With the show selling out and another show added, word about the epic previous show must have made its way around. The band didn't forget either as King recalled a fan who did a front flip off the stage into the sea of people (see the Younger Us video at 0:38 here). King made an agreement with those who wanted to stage dive. Those who jumped on stage had one second to get back into the crowd. If not, they were shoved (shove is an understatement) back in by security. During the 2012 show, King gave the crowd five seconds on stage and there was no one was there to enforce the rule. There was also a larger abundance of crowd surfing and some moshing. One girl during "Fire's Highway" was surfing for nearly the entire song. About halfway through the set, the sweat filled, crowded venue became so hot the air conditioning was turned on as well as the fans overhead.

The duo also took their stage act to the next level with visually appealing lighting that included strobe and laser lights and more interaction with the crowd. A group of the masses, including a group sporting Philadelphia Flyers gear, began chanting "Let's Go Flyers" during a break in the action. With the band being Canadian and from Vancouver, drummer David Prowse told the crowd, "This is awkward. You know we're Canucks fans, right?" The crowd didn't care and started chanting again later in the show. King then told them off in a joking manner, "I know you're tying to be antagonistic, but we don't fucking care. This next song goes out to those who aren't chanting." Of course I was one of those fans who was wearing a Flyers shirt.

Japandroids guitarist Brian King (left) and drummer David
Prowse (right) are joined by The Hold Steady's Craig Finn.

The 18 song set consisted of seven songs from both the new album Near to the Wild Heart of Life and from the 2012 breakout album Celebration Rock. Three songs were played from the debut album Post-Nothing. After playing their biggest song "The House That Heaven Built," Craig Finn was brought back out to take over lead vocals on The Saints' punk anthem "(I'm) Stranded." The special cover of the 1976 hit was a pleasant surprise. Some of the youthful crowd wasn't familiar with the song but it didn't get by me.

Japandroids are taking the torch of punk rock and running with it. Their music, their attitude and their shows represent everything that is punk rock. They should be getting more mainstream attention but that wouldn't be punk. The boys from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada have come a long way and no matter what, the punk scene in Philly will always give them the love they deserve.

Setlist:

Craig Finn and the Uptown Controllers:

1.  Apollo Bay

2.  Maggie I've Been Searching For Our Son

3.  Preludes

4.  Be Honest

5.  Tracking Shots

6.  Newmyer's Roof

7.  Terrified Eyes

8.  Trapper Avenue

Japandroids:

1.  Near to the Wild Heart of Life

2.  Adrenaline Nightshift

3.  Fire's Highway

4.  True Love and a Free Life of Free Will

5.  North East South West

6.  Younger Us

7.  In a Body Like a Grave

8.  Arc of Bar

9.  The Nights of Wine and Roses

10. Evil's Sway

11. Midnight to Morning

12. Wet Hair

13. Continuous Thunder

14. No Known Drink or Drug

15. Young Hearts Spark Fire

16. Sovereignty

17. The House That Heaven Built

18. (I'm) Stranded (The Saints cover) (with Craig Finn)